


Something New

by oddjuso



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Comedy, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, High School, Love Triangles, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 17:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14337024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddjuso/pseuds/oddjuso
Summary: I’ve decided to pick this story up as it has been exactly one year of me making it. I’m not so sure of the direction and place of this story as mentioned before, it has been a year.So with that being said, if you notice mistakes, plot holes, or errors, that can be improved upon in the story, please comment on them. You guys are my editors and checkers so please let me know. It’s a long time and I would really like to get back into writing.Thank you very much-Juso





	1. Chapter 1

Roughly two and a half hours since the end bells rung, and the sophomore mute Link, was still sat at his desk helping his teacher Daruk grade and organize papers. 

Now while most teens Link’s age would’ve much preferred to hang out after school with friends and talk about anything, he was quite the opposite, preferring a more quiet, peaceful evening helping his favorite teacher grade papers.

An autumn evening, spent in a classroom of complete silence, grading papers, and occasionally watching as leaves of various colors flew by.  
To Link, this tranquil scene and place made grading all the papers worth it.

“This was the ideal evening” he thought

“what could be better?”

The room remained silent for the most part as Link and his teacher weren’t exactly conversing for most of this “experience” and link preferred it to be that way, but at some points Daruk couldn’t help but attempt to strike a conversation with his mostly mute student.

“Y’know Link, I’m starting to actually worry about you”  
Link glanced up from his papers and looked at his teacher, and instead of speaking Link arched one of his eyebrows, signaling confusing.

His teacher only sighed as he continued  
“Well you’ve been coming in here since the first week of your freshmen year for Well...everything”  
Daruk elaborated further by saying  
“From break, to lunch, to the end of the day, you’re always in here, either helping me or lounging around, and don’t get me wrong I appreciate it when you help out, but I can’t help but wonder don’t you do anything else? Like hangout with friends or family?”

Link didn’t even need to think about the question before he swiftly shook his head.  
In truth, Daruk’s classroom was the only place he liked and felt at peace, as the rest of the school was either too noisy or filled to the brimmed with students he didn’t particularly find appealing.

Daruk only let out a sigh before putting one of his large Goron hand to his relatively small Goron chin. An audible snap was heard as the Goron cracked his neck and it was followed by a deep inhale and exhale.  
“Well little dude, whatever floats your boat, but out of curiosity, have you ever talked to anyone but me?”

Link nodded before softly stating  
“Yeah, family”

His teacher chuckle at his response before elaborating,  
“Aw com’n! You know what I meant, like anybody at this school”

To respond Link nodded his head  
“Mipha”

“Well yeah, you are childhood friends so I would kind of expect that, but, anyone else?”

Link thought long and hard about this, he could say Mipha’s younger brother, but he had only talked to Sidon once, and it was a long time ago when he went to Mipha’s house back in 7th. 

The two only introduced themselves briefly and since then when Link would come over, Mipha’s brother would instinctively know not to even attempt to strike a conversation with Link, knowing full well he was practically mute.  
So after a quick shake of the head Link responded  
“No”

“Hmmm... this is troubling indeed, your second year here and you’ve only manage to open up to Mipha, whom might I add had been your close friend since the age of six and I”

Link stared absentmindedly at his papers as he twirled his pencil in his hand. 

Link, to put simply just didn’t trust people, and the only people (Mipha, Daruk, and family) he did trust, he had bonded with them through common interest or out of conditional family love.  
Link could see why his teacher would worry about his social life, but that didn’t stop him from feeling like it was simply unnecessary.  
In the eyes of Link, he was doing just fine.  
He talked when he had to, he had a limited amount people that he knew he could trust, and he had a fine life watching Autumn leaves fly by as he grades papers.

Again, “what could be better?”

A lot. Apparently, as in the eyes of Daruk he saw both the positive and negative sides of Link, that being a student who was practically on the top of his game when it came to grades and studying, but lacking in other important areas like talking and interacting with others.  
Good grades and studies can take you a lot of places sure, but on the contrary almost all those places requires you to talk or interact with other either by online means or in person, so how far can one really go without the essential skill of simple talking?

With that thought, Daruk had made up his mind, he was going to get Link to essentially talk more and open up to others.  
So with two swift motions the Goron had grabbed a pen and paper, slamming it on his desk, as he began to write.

Link was slightly shocked by the sudden movement of his teacher but was ultimate amused by how the Goron, with such big arms could use a tiny pencil to write on a tiny slim sheet paper.

With a little “ta-da” the Goron got out of his rather small chair and marched up to links desk.  
“I present to you; Mr. Daruk’s plan to Link opening up... Yeah!”

Link blinked a few times really really unsure of what in the world was going on but he hesitantly took the paper and began to read:

“Mr. Daruk’s plan to Link opening up... Yeah!

Step 1: Talk to someone new  
Step 2: Talk to someone else new  
Step 3: Hangout once with one of those new people  
Step 4: Make an inside group with said new people  
Step 5: Plan an event with all your friends”

Links eyes uninterestedly scanned the paper but came to an abrupt stop when he saw that last part of the paper...the reward...

His eyes shined and a whole new fire within him lit up when he saw it.  
Reading the paper over and over again he had to make sure it wasn’t just his imagination.  
He had to just confirm that, this was indeed the actual reward he was getting for completion.

Daruk had seen the fire in his students as he reread the page over and over.

Daruk had a big smirk when he saw a new fire ignite in his students eye, he had known Link for quite some time and that meant he also knew Link’s one weakness, the one thing Link would do anything for.

Link took a another read, well four more reads to make sure his eyes were right before glancing up from the sheet to ask  
“Daruk... i-is this true?”

His teacher nodded and gave him a huge thumbs up  
“Yes Link that is correct, if you complete all of these task and finally open up to others, the reward awaiting you at the very end of it all is...  
A TRIP TO DEATH MOUNTAIN BARBECUE ALL YOU CAN EAT MY TREAT!!!”

Link slightly crinkled the paper as his grip tightens, he had to do it now, to put simply he couldn’t refuse, not after Dath Mountain Barbecue was mentioned, curse Daruk...  
A slam of the table was heard echoing throughout the hall as a now hyped Link slammed his hand on his desk to get up. He looked up at his teacher, as they were now both dead locked trapped in each other’s gaze.

“I’ll do it” 

With the confirmation of the task, the student and the teacher continued to glare at one another as this was a rather intimate bonding moment over food.

The stares continued way past “normal” levels as they both looked deep into each other’s eyes. To anyone else this would’ve been considered weird, but to these two it was just their way of bond over their mutual love of food.

But all moments must come to an end as when the door was practically slammed open, and English teacher and counselor Urbosa came busting through the door practically yelling  
“Daruk if you don’t stop yelling and slamming tables I swear to Hylia I will-“

——

Needless to say the conversation following the yelling was not fun and Link vividly remembered sneaking out of the classroom while Daruk was getting his ear chewed out. 

After the escape Link made his way to the schools skateboard racks and proceeded to unlock his lock all while humming a little tune  
“17 right, 9 left, 35 right, left and open sesame”  
He manage to unlock his lock and silently thanked Paya for the little tune she whipped up to help him remember his combo.

As Link pulled out his skateboard from the racks he quickly redid the lock  
and recalled the scolding he, (or mostly Daruk) had gotten as a result of his rather loud yelling and Links slamming of the desk. 

It had turned out Urbosa was right next door to hear the twos “ruckus” all while grading papers.  
And since she was in a rather foul mood from having a rather bad day, Daruk yelling “Death Mountain Barbecue all you can eat my treat!!!” didn’t exactly do much to improve her mood. 

Although, Link couldn’t exactly blame her as she would’ve let Daruk yelling once slide had it not been for Link who slammed the table, that twig of fury snapped.

Urbosa had quite the reputation at the school, and while Link never had her, he would hear quite a lot about her from other students when he overheard some of their conversations.

She was a very well built Gerudo women, towering over almost all of the young teenage Zora, Gorons, and Hylians causing a rather intimating vibe. That combined with her rather strong personality and she was someone you couldn’t help but be intimidated by.  
But beneath that rough personality, Link had heard some students who knew her on a personal level say that under that tough exterior, she was the kindest and most humble person to ever graze the earth.

Link dropped his skateboard under his foot and step over it to keep it in place as he took out the list Daruk had given him.  
He wondered  
“Does talking to teachers count as talking to someone new?”

He brought up his hand to his chin and made a pondering face as he continued to converse within his head.  
“Nah that would be too easy, plus I can’t exactly form a group with just teachers and then plan an event to hangout with them all, that would be just weird...”  
Link sighed putting the list away,  
“Well looks like I actually have to meet some new people...”

“It can’t be that hard...”

“right?”


	2. Chapter 2

If grading papers on a quiet evening was the best feeling in the world, then skating would have to be a close second.  
As Link cruised down the sidewalk at his mediocre pace, he took the time to admire everything.  
From the scenery of vermilion leaves, to the sound of honking cars whizzing pass, he soaked everything in, all while easing his mind to the breeze that gently combed back his hair.  
With thoughts of what had transpired earlier running through Links mind he let out a smile.

Life was good.  
Everything, as of now was just how he liked it.  
Quiet and peaceful.  
In this quiet and peaceful life of his, nothing disturbed him, nothing hated him, and nothing made him particularly angry or sad, it was a quiet life that Link lead, and he always appreciated everyone and everything that was in it. 

In his mind, it was almost an ideal life and everything in it was perfect, so why was it that in his heart something always felt missing?  
Why was it that there was something that always felt so out of reach, so intangible.

The thought that there was something missing always bothered him, it was an unquiet whisper in the back of his mind that was unwilling to shut up no matter how many times you tried to shush it.  
To make matters worst, Link didn’t even know what the feeling was.  
No matter how hard he tried to plug up the thought with answers, it would always spit those answers out demanding something else.

What was it?  
Was it the thought of wanting to open up? The thoughts of wanting answers? The thought of wanting something new?

On “good days” Link would simply ignore the thoughts plaguing his mind, acting as if his quiet life was still the only and best one.  
But it was in these moments, when his mind was deep in thought that the thoughts really got to him. Skating was his gateway to the thinking world and as he whizzed pass scenery of autumn he let his mind sink and sink.

What was it that he was missing?

Subconsciously, Link pulled out the list Daruk had given him out of his pocket and his mind thought,  
Maybe this would hold the answers... Maybe talking to others might be-  
Another smile would creep on his lips before he could finish the thought.  
_You’re delusional_  
His smile remained still as he reminisced on the first day of Freshmen year that would eventually lead to his current situation.

 _It was the first day of freshmen year and Mipha was walking a rather anxious looking Link to his math room. His hand fiddled with his schedule while he anxiously followed the side of Mipha._  
_Mipha, noticing Links obvious peril flashed him a smile and asked  
“Are you going to be alright? Like y’know, without me?”_

__

_Link offered a crooked smile in response, causing the red Zora to giggle and cover her mouth._  
_“You know, you can always ask Impa to try and get our schedules synced again” Mipha pointed out  
Link firmly shook his head in disapproval._

__

__

_It wasn’t until now that Link had classes of his own. This was because back in 7th, 8th, and elementary, his legal guardian Impa had to request that he be put in all the same classes as Mipha to prevent his, nervous breakdowns._

__

_If him in the present didn’t like talking, him back then was a completely different story.  
Instead of a simple quiet person that occasionally made jokes if he was comfortable, his younger self was a nervous wreck that stopped functioning if anyone new tried to interact with him._

__

_There was this one particular incident in 4th grade that just really demonstrated how much he needed Mipha back in his younger years._

__

_It was during lunch, Mipha and Link were sitting next to each other quietly enjoying their food, when a random girl walked up to Link with a smile._

__

_The girl didn’t introduce herself, she didn’t speak, she just wore a seemingly radiant smile as she reached out to the back of Links head and started to fiddle with his ponytail, all while amusement danced on her face._  
_4th grade Link noticed this action and almost immediately ceased to function. His eyes bulged as he stared at nothing particular in front of him, desperate to distract himself from the girls action._  
_He could’ve simply said or gesture to the girl “stop” but instead, his awkward persona only let him sit there, eyes glued front as the girl continued._  
_This would continue on for about 2 minutes as Link sat still waiting for the girl to hopefully stop on her own._  
_However, when she didn’t stop Link, slowly and robotically turned his head to meet Mipha’s gaze with his face saying  
“MAKE HER STOP”_

_____ _

__

__

__

_Long story short Mipha eventually politely told the girl to stop, and she did hesitantly before going back to her spot in the cafeteria. He never found out who she was, or why she had done this, but in the years that followed, he and Mipha would nickname this girl “ponytail girl”._  
_The story was one of Links not-so-finest moments and was the story that Mipha always brought up if she wanted to get him riled up or embarrassed.  
Just the phrase “Hey, do you remember the ponytail girl?” would send Link down a spiral of embarrassment._

____

_Back to the first day of freshmen year, Mipha and Link, side by side were still making their way to Links math class. The class was way in the back of the school and to get there from the entrance, one would have to invest 3-4 minutes just to walk. Luckily it was the first day and freshmen were expected to be late so Mipha could walk Link to his class and walk back to the entrance to get to her class with no problem._

__

_“You know, I won’t always be able to walk with you in the morning... and I have swim after school, so we won’t see each other then either... so I just wanted ask to again, are you sure you’ll be alright?”_

__

_Link smiled at the red Zora, giving her an OK signal with his hands. This did nothing to calm her as Mipha being Mipha went off on a tangent._  
_“Try to make friends, try to talk to others, and I’m assuming I won’t see you much for break or lunch cause of clubs, so eat wisely, don’t stuff your face with junk food like you did back in 8th when I wasn’t around... also be careful when it comes to bad people, and please don’t fall of your skate-“_  
_When she looked upon her friends smile, her ranting was abruptly cut off as a blush crept up on her face._  
_“I... apologize... I’m always the one poking fun at you for needing me but it seems I’m not used to being without you either...”_  
_Link smile only widened as he joked  
“Oh how the tables have turned”_

__

__

__

____

_“Shut up...” was the only words that could be uttered by Mipha as they arrived to his class._  
_“Well, this is it...”_  
_She paused_  
_“I guess I’ll see you?”_  
_Mipha said while gesturing for a hug.  
Link obliged and hugged the Zora for almost a minute before letting go, and waving to her as she walked off. Link sighed and straightened his posture. He turned his head to the class door and snuck one more glance at the Zora walking away to give him courage. Filled with this newfound courage and confidence, Link took one last deep breath, and walked into the classroom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided to pick this story up as it has been exactly one year of me making it. I’m not so sure of the direction and place of this story as mentioned before, it has been a year.  
> So with that being said, if you notice mistakes, plot holes, or errors, that can be improved upon in the story, please comment on them. You guys are my editors and checkers so please let me know. It’s a long time and I would really like to get back into writing.  
> Thank you very much  
> -Juso


End file.
